Airplane tire tread (2), having an axial width L, comprises a middle part (3) having an axial width L.sub.C at least equal to 50% and at most equal to 80% of L and composed of a middle rubber composition, and two lateral parts (41, 42), positioned axially on either side of the middle part (3), each having an axial width (L.sub.S1, L.sub.S2) between 10% and 25% of L and each composed of a lateral rubber composition. The middle rubber composition comprises at least 50 phr of a first diene elastomer, a reinforcing filler and a crosslinking system, which first diene elastomer comprises ethylene units and diene units comprising a carbon-carbon double bond, which units are distributed randomly within the first diene elastomer, the ethylene units representing at least 50 mol % of all the monomer units of the first diene elastomer.

A tire is provided with a tread that includes first and second sectors and grooves. The second sectors are formed of a rigid reinforcing compound. Each of the first and second sectors has a contact face intended to contact a road surface when the tire is in use. Each groove includes sidewalls and a bottom, and extends from an end of an adjacent contact face. A depth P of each groove is measured in a radial direction between its bottom and a position corresponding to a radial height of the adjacent contact face. At least one of the second sectors has a contact face that includes a recess having a depth p of less than 2 mm, as measured in a radial direction from a surface of the recess to a position corresponding to a radial height of an adjacent first sector.

A tread for a tire includes: a first tread zone extending circumferentially, continuously, and entirely around the tire, the first tread zone being formed of a first compound; a second tread zone extending circumferentially, continuously, and entirely around the tire, the second tread zone being formed of a second compound different from the first compound; and a boundary groove axially separating the first tread zone from the second tread zone, the first tread zone, the second tread zone, and the boundary groove entirely forming the tread, the boundary groove having an axial centerline disposed an axial distance from an equatorial plane of the tire. The first tread zone has a first circumferential groove and a sidewall portion defining an intermediate circumferential rib of the first tread zone and a shoulder circumferential rib of the first tread zone.

Tire having a predetermined direction of mounting on a vehicle. The tire tread (40) comprises a central rib (411-413) and two side ribs (421, 422), separated by circumferential grooves (141-144). The side ribs are made from a first rubber composition less than 50% filled with black. The central rib comprises a portion (4111, 4121) made from a second rubber composition more than 50% filled with black, the axial width (LP) of said portion being greater than or equal to 20% of the axial width LC of the central rib. The first rubber composition has a tan 0 value which is greater than the tan 0 value of the second rubber composition, where tan 0 denotes the tan value measured at a temperature of 0 C. and under a stress of 0.7 mPa.

A method for forming a composite tread, the method comprising the steps of: forming a coextruded strip of a first compound and a second compound, wherein the first compound is a tread compound, and the second compound is formed from a second compound, wherein the tread is formed from winding the coextruded strip onto the tire building drum while varying the ratio of the first compound to the second compound

A tire (1) in which at least one of the said tread pattern blocks (51) comprises a circumferential reinforcing element (52) positioned axially on the inside relative to the said at least one groove (71) when working from the outside towards the inside and axially close to the said circumferential groove, the circumferential reinforcing element (52) is made of a rubber compound having a dynamic shear modulus G* at least twice as high as the dynamic shear modulus G* of the rubber compound of the rest of the blocks of the tread, the circumferential reinforcing element (52) extends radially from the radially exterior surface of the said crown reinforcement (6) towards the surface of the said tread with an axial width which decreases progressively with increasing radial proximity to the outside, and in which the rubber compound of the rest of the blocks of the tread is present axially between the said circumferential reinforcing element (52) and the adjacent axially internal lateral face (7i).

A tire tread is provided that in an unworn state includes one or more tread features having a layer of a relatively softer, higher grip rubber material. This layer is formed from a first rubber composition that is provided as a skim or relatively thin layer at the contact surface of the tread feature. This skim provides the grip needed as the tire starts to warm up but can then wear away after an initial period of use so that the contact surface is eventually formed from a second rubber composition. This second rubber composition, in turn, provides the desired level of grip and acceptable wear at the higher temperatures that occur as the tire heats up from use. The layer of skim can be profiled depending upon the application and performance characteristics needed.

The present invention is directed to a tire having a tread comprising two shoulder portions and a center portion axially between the two shoulder portions, wherein at least one of the shoulder portions comprises a first rubber composition and the center portion comprises a second rubber composition different from said first rubber composition. The first rubber composition has a shear storage modulus which is at least 10% lower than the shear storage modulus of the second rubber composition, and the second rubber composition has a glass transition temperature which is at least 5% higher than the glass transition temperature of the first rubber composition.

A tire, the tread of which has an underlayer and a circumferential reinforcement made up of a rubber mixture with a stiffness greater than the stiffness of the rubber mixture and the underlayer, has an outer side and an inner side. The circumferential reinforcement has a reinforcing element of tapered shape positioned in the tread pattern elements disposed axially on the outside with respect to the first or the second circumferential grooves of the tread from the outside to the inside and axially close to the circumferential groove.

In a pneumatic tire, a rubber surface layer portion comprises a first rubber portion formed from a first rubber, and a second rubber portion formed from a second rubber having a rubber hardness greater than a rubber hardness of the first rubber, the first rubber portion is arranged at a first side in a tire width direction, the second rubber portion is arranged at a second side in the tire width direction, an interface between the first rubber portion and the second rubber portion is arranged between a pair of main grooves that are arranged in outwardmost fashion in the tire width direction, and an average tire outside diameter toward the second side in the tire width direction from a tire equatorial plane is greater than an average tire outside diameter toward the first side in the tire width direction from the tire equatorial plane.